Thai Cashew Chicken Stir Fry {Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free}

A cashew chicken stir fry with a Thai flair – perfect for a weeknight meal. Both gluten-free and dairy-free too.

Since we started traveling we have been trying to eat less meat, focusing more on vegetarian or vegan friendly meals. Yes this can be difficult while traveling through Asia and no we haven’t given up meat/animal products entirely but we do make a conscious effort to eat less and opt for veggie friendly meals. Without even keeping tracking I’m pretty sure I went over 2 months without eating beef, and that was without even trying to avoid it.

We have met so many travelers who flip through restaurant menus avidly searching for the red meat section while I can happily order a tofu or vegetable noodle dish for dinner and be satisfied.

On another note while traveling through some of the Asian countries where it regularly gets as hot as 100 degrees and the meat in the markets can be seen just laying out without any kind of ice or refrigeration, I’m not exactly enthused about ordering this meat for dinner. For some reason I’ve gotten it into my head that my Western raised and fed body can only handle animal products that have been refrigerated or frozen. Is this really the case? Who knows? Somehow though I just start to imagine bouts of food poisoning when I see that meat lying out all day collecting dust and attracting flies (among other insects).

So usually on those occasions when we choose to eat animal products it’s usually chicken. Somehow chicken seems like a safe option and is healthier than red meat.

And so today’s recipe bring you a Thai take on a cashew chicken stir fry. I made acashew chicken dish at a cooking school in China, and now again in Bangkok, but this one is slightly different, with a Thai flair to it.

Simple, to the point, and delicious.

On another note – Happy Women’s Day to all the lovely ladies out there!

No problem! Most of the time when we travel we try to eat vegetarian, opting for veggie noodles dishes or tofu instead of meat, but sometimes it isn’t an option and we’re okay with eating chicken or seafood but generally stay away from red meat. In many of the Asian countries there are vegetarian alternatives though it does require some extra communication and knowledge about what goes into the sauces/brothes/curry paste (ex. fish sauce, shrimp paste, etc).